The Learning Lab: transitie-leren in de praktijk

29 augustus 2011

In 2010, a group of twenty Honors students enrolled in a leadership course in the IIS Honours Program of the Free University of Amsterdam (VU) and the University of Amsterdam (UvA), with the vague description ‘The Learning Lab’. The students had very diverse backgrounds, from the Singaporean army to anthropology and physics, they applied to explore themselves and their world. Course-designer Thieu Besselink was one of the keynote-speakers at the Conference 'In Het Onderwijs Kan Het Wel' at the 25th of August in Driebergen.

The Learning Lab is een experimentele denktank voor transitie-leren en maatschappelijke ontwikkeling. Hoe “hacken” we het systeem opdat het beter wordt? Welke aandacht hebben studenten nodig om zich te kunnen ontwikkelen tot pioniers?

This documentary, directed by Victor van Doorn and Jochem Smit shows the student's progression from talented scholars, to driven social entrepreneurs and ultimately, directors of their own education.With the help of the course's designer Thieu Besselink, a league of inspiring speakers, an open learning environment and a bucket-load of creative chaos, the students embarked on an unlikely inner and outer journey.



THE PIONEERS LAB - A Learning Laboratory from The Learning Lab on Vimeo.

The Learning Lab develops experimental deep learning ecologies for personal growth and social impact at the crossroads of academics, art, and social entrepreneurship. We do so as an independent studio and think-tank offering universities and partners in society a creative laboratory for new approaches to creative enquiry and learning.  Besselink:  "I believe that with the end of systemic security in our society you cannot understand the increasingly complex world unless you participate it its creation. The same is true for our individual lives."

Our students are resourceful, bright, and want to make a mark for a not yet sustainable world. They come to the Learning Lab because they want to develop, not only intellectually, but also creatively, socially, and professionally as complete human beings capable of leaving a meaningful footprint. They are entrepreneurs of the mind and practical visionaries, working on the cutting edge between learning and creating.

Does today’s educational system provide the tools, opportunities and enough chaos in order for tomorrow’s pioneers to emerge?